The Federal Court of Australia will, on Thursday, publish reasons for its dismissal of tennis star Novak Djokovic’s challenge to the cancellation of his visa, the court said. The reasons will be read out in court by Chief Justice James Allsop in a session streamed live online, a court spokesperson said.
Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday, just hours after the court dismissed his effort to stay in the country to play at the Australian Open.
His departure ended an 11-day rollercoaster following the cancellation of his visa on arrival for not having a proper medical exemption from Covid-19 vaccination requirements.
His saga has stoked global debate over the rights of people who opt not to get vaccinated.
Djokovic was held in an immigration detention hotel for several days until a court reinstated his visa on the grounds that he had been treated unfairly at the airport.
Late last Friday the government cancelled his visa again on the grounds that he might foster anti-vaccination sentiment if he was allowed to stay. Djokovic challenged the cancellation on the grounds the minister had acted irrationally, but the court dismissed the case.
Star’s stake
Djokovic has an 80 per cent stake of Danish biotech firm QuantBioRes, which is aiming to develop a medical treatment to counter Covid-19, the company’s chief executive said on Wednesday. CEO Ivan Loncarevic said the investment was made in June 2020 but declined to say how much it was.